The brick never hit me. One of the officers stepped in front of me just in time, and the brick slammed into his back with a sickening thud.
He grunted in pain but stayed upright.
“Captain Miller!” one of the other officers shouted, rushing to his side.
The scene devolved into chaos as several officers restrained my mom, forcing her to the ground. She thrashed and screamed, her wild laughter echoing in the yard.
Her eyes burned into me, filled with hatred.
It was in that moment I realized–she wasn’t just angry. She’d completely lost her mind.
19
Both my mom and I were taken to the police station in the city.
She was being held for assaulting an officer on top of her other crimes. As for me, I was there to give my statement.
I told the officers everything.
Every detail about Jason’s crimes. About my parents burying the girl’s body in the well.
And I didn’t stop there. I told them about Carl’s involvement too.
The officers were stunned. “How does a young girl like you know all this?” one of them asked, clearly skeptical.
I shrugged, keeping my tone casual. “Jason and Carl always talked about their business when they thought no one was listening. I overheard them a lot.”
Of course, I couldn’t tell them the truth–that I’d lived this all before.
The fingerprint results came back quickly. As I expected, they matched my mom, my dad, and Jason. Everything I’d said was proven true.
乾
4:53 PM d
The trial didn’t take long. My mom was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for her role as an accomplice and for attacking an officer.
As for me, the police commended me for coming forward. They even gave me a $1,000 reward and sent me back to the village.
I should’ve felt free. After all, I was no longer trapped in that toxic household.
But Carl was still out there.
He was careful. He never got his hands dirty, always sending his lackeys to do the killing and stealing. He sat back and reaped the rewards, leaving no trail behind.
No one else in the village knew what he was really up to.
Except for me.
. And I wasn’t done yet.
20
Karen showed up at my door not long after I returned.
“Sophie,” she whispered urgently, her eyes shining with desperation. “Let’s run away. Let’s go to college together, just the two of us.”
I frowned, pretending to be confused. “Why would you need to run? Didn’t Carl promise to pay for your college? Why not let him take care of
it?”
Her face twisted, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say. But I didn’t need her to explain.
Her lips were swollen, the corners cracked. There was a faint smear of dried blood on her forehead.
I’d always known Carl was violent.
“He said he’d let me go to college, but now he’s changed his mind,” Karen finally admitted, her voice trembling. “He says I have to give him a child first. When I refused, he… he beat me. He beats me every day, Sophie. I can’t take it anymore.”
She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arms covered in bruises. Not a single patch of skin was left unmarked.
“Please,” she begged, tears streaming down her face. “Help me. I just want to leave. I just want to go to college and start over.”
Her tears fell onto my hand, scalding hot.
It reminded me of the last life–when I’d begged her for help.
I’d pleaded with her not to tell my family about my college acceptance. She’d promised to keep my secret, only to betray me the moment it
served her.
I still remembered the pain of having my legs broken at the village gate. And the look on her face as she held my acceptance letter, smiling
like she’d just won.
I reached out and wiped away Karen’s tears, my voice soft and reassuring. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you. Pack your things and meet
